WOMEN STILL FIND IT HARD TO SEEK HELP

WHAT Michelle Thomson has done is a really brave and important thing. Many rape survivors find it very hard to tell anyone what happened.

It is very common for rape crisis centres to be seeing women many, many years after something has happened to them, and that will be the first time they have ever spoken about it.

There is still a lot of shame out there about rape and what she has done is send a really strong message to survivors that any shame is not your shame, and she’s made it clear it’s OK to talk about it.

There is support out there for you if you have been raped or are the victim of sexual assault. It does not matter if it happened yesterday or 30 years ago, you will get support. It is very common for women to come forward for help many years after a rape.

It can be very difficult for them to talk about it for a number of reasons. We receive calls from women who were raped many decades ago, and the circumstances are very different from one individual to another, and responses are very different from one individual to another. Survivors should never feel under pressure to report their rape to the police. It’s important that they decide who they will tell and they might not want to report it to the police. No one should be put under pressure to report, but survivors should be assured that no matter how long ago it happened, the police will take them seriously.

The Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 clearly sets out the law on what constitutes consent as free agreement. For example, if the victim is drunk or on drugs or asleep they are not able to consent.

It can be difficult for survivors to name what they have experienced as rape but there is support out there for them.

Because there have been a number of high profile historic rape cases in recent years, this is a subject which is more under discussion now than it was previously. But from the perspective of a survivor, there are still barriers they face in terms of coming forward, for example the potential impact their decision might have on their family and friends, or the prospect of being judged.

We need to create a culture change to allow survivors to come forward in the knowledge that they will be believed and they will be supported – and we are working hard to provide that culture change.

We recognise the bravery of Michelle Thomson in coming forward and in helping to send out that message and helping to create that culture change for other rape survivors.

Eileen Maitland is an information and resource worker for Rape Crisis Scotland. You can call its helpline on 08088 01 03 02.